Home Performance Evaluation

Every house is different. From the design of the building, how well it has been maintained, the type of heating and cooling systems, appliances, to occupants' behavior, etc..., all of these factors play a part in affecting the performance in terms of energy efficiency, water efficiency, and indoor air quality. If you are concerned about paying too much in energy, water and sewage, or if you want to have healtheir and more comfortable indoor environment, a home performance evaluation can help you identify and prioritize where you should focus your attention.

Home Energy Audit

Home performance evaluation usually involves an energy audit. You can perform a simple energy audit yourself, or have a professional energy auditor carry out a more thorough analysis. A simple do-it-yourself energy audit can give you some idea of the state of the energy performance of your home. Puget Sound Energy has an online Do-It-Yourself Home Energy Audit program that can help you to compare with your neighbors in terms of energy consumption.

A professional certified energy auditor employs uses whole-house science with a variety of techniques and equipment to determine the energy efficiency of a structure.

Thorough audits often involve equipment such as blower doors (this test simulates when the wind is blowing about twenty miles per hour or a 50 pascal depressurization) which measure the extent of leaks in the building envelope,

and infrared cameras, which reveal hard-to-detect areas of air infiltration and missing insulation. A professional energy audit will help identify problems that may, when corrected, save you significant amounts of money over time.

If you are not sure what is a home energy audit or whether you need one, Community Energy Solutions offers energy audit field trips. Please check our Energy Event page for the next scheduled audit field trip.

We are in the process of building a database of home performance contractors and retrofiters. Please contact us if you have any questions.